Background Despite the large number of studies assessing health literacy, little research has been conducted with young adults. Since health literacy is related to the setting in which health information is provided, our study aim was to measure health literacy competencies in a sample of university students and to evaluate the relationships between these competencies and their university health education. Methods A total of 912 university students (aged 18–24 years) completed the 47-item European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47). Results Perceived difficulties with health information were related to gender, with male students reporting significantly lower health literacy scores. Studying more health education-related subjects was associated with a higher health literacy competency, due to these students' higher rates of accessing and understanding health information in the health promotion domain. Conclusion Health literacy among young adult university students is insufficient. The subjects they study are related to their university health education; in particular, the number of health-related subjects they study is positively related to students' health promotion domain-based competencies.

BackgroundSeveral studies have demonstrated the positive effects of physical activity on skeletal muscle mass and muscle strength in women with osteoporosis. However, the impact of Nordic walking training on sarcopenia-related parameters in women with low bone mass remains unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of 12 weeks of Nordic walking training on skeletal muscle index, muscle strength, functional mobility, and functional performance in women with low bone mass.Materials and methodsThe participants were 45 women, aged 63–79 years, with osteopenia or osteoporosis. The subjects were randomly assigned either to an experimental group (12 weeks of Nordic walking training, three times a week) or to a control group. Skeletal muscle mass and other body composition factors were measured with octapolar bioimpedance InBody 720 analyser. Knee extensor and flexor isometric muscle strength were measured using Biodex System 4 Pro™ dynamometers. This study also used a SAEHAN Digital Hand Dynamometer to measure handgrip muscle strength. The timed up-and-go test was used to measure functional mobility, and the 6-minute walk test was used to measure functional performance.ResultsShort-term Nordic walking training induced a significant increase in skeletal muscle mass (P=0.007), skeletal muscle index (P=0.007), strength index of the knee extensor (P=0.016), flexor (P<0.001), functional mobility (P<0.001), and functional performance (P<0.001) and a significant decrease in body mass (P=0<006), body mass index (P<0.001), and percent body fat (P<0.001) in participants. Regarding handgrip muscle strength, no improvement was registered (P=0.315). No significant changes in any of the analyzed parameters were observed in the control group.ConclusionOverall, short-term Nordic walking training induces positive changes in knee muscle strength and functional performance in women with low bone mass. This finding could be applied in clinical practice for intervention programs in women with osteopenia and osteoporosis.

The relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and successful athletic performance has been previously recognized, but there remains a need to investigate how EI impacts athletes’ sports motivation. This cross-sectional study investigated how different EI dimensions related to athletes’ motivation among 239 adult basketball players (129 females) aged 18-34 years. Our research participants completed questionnaires that included the self-reported Emotional Intelligence Scale and Sport Motivation Scale II. We found significant correlations between total EI and intrinsic, integrated, identified, and introjected regulation. Higher EI was negatively related to athletes’ amotivation. More specifically, the self-reported abilities to perceive emotion and manage others’ emotions were significantly related to intrinsic, integrated, and identified regulation, and only managing one’s own emotions negatively related to athletes’ amotivation.

Rationale and ObjectivesPro-inflammatory processes have been argued to play a role in conditions associated with cognitive decline and neurodegeneration, like aging and obesity. Only a limited number of studies have tried to measure both peripheral and central biomarkers of inflammation and examined their interrelationship. The primary aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that chronic peripheral inflammation would be associated with neurometabolic changes that indicate neuroinflammation (the combined elevation of myoinositol and choline), brain gray matter volume decrease, and lower cognitive functioning in older adults.Materials and MethodsSeventy-four older adults underwent bio-impedance body composition analysis, cognitive testing with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), blood serum analysis of inflammatory markers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and kynurenine, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) of the brain. Neurometabolic findings from both Tarquin and LCModel 1H-MRS post-processing software packages were compared. The regions of interest for MRI and 1H-MRS measurements were dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (DPCC), left hippocampal cortex (HPC), left medial temporal cortex (MTC), left primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1), and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).ResultsElevated serum kynurenine levels were associated with signs of neuroinflammation, specifically in the DPCC, left SM1 and right DLPFC, and signs of neurodegeneration, specifically in the left HPC, left MTC and left SM1, after adjusting for age, sex and fat percentage (fat%). Elevated serum IL-6 levels were associated with increased Glx levels in left HPC, left MTC, and right DLPFC, after processing the 1H-MRS data with Tarquin. Overall, the agreement between Tarquin and LCModel results was moderate-to-strong for tNAA, tCho, mIns, and tCr, but weak to very weak for Glx. Peripheral inflammatory markers (IL-6 and kynurenine) were not associated with older age, higher fat%, decreased brain gray matter volume loss or decreased cognitive functioning within a cohort of older adults.ConclusionOur results suggest that serum kynurenine may be used as a peripheral inflammatory marker that is associated with neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, although not linked to cognition. Future studies should consider longitudinal analysis to assess the causal inferences between chronic peripheral and neuroinflammation, brain structural and neurometabolic changes, and cognitive decline in aging.

El objetivo del estudio fue explorar los efectos de sesiones de ejercicio en video sobre los cambios en las percepciones y actitudes de los estudiantes de educación primaria hacia la actividad física, la autoeficacia física y el conocimiento académico adquirido relacionado con la salud. El estudio incluyó a 181 estudiantes de educación primaria, de primer a cuarto curso, de los cuales 93 (51.4%) constituyeron el grupo experimental y 88 (48.6%) el grupo control (Medad = 8.24; DT = 1.10 años). Los efectos de la intervención mediante sesiones de ejercicio en video fueron medidos mediante la Escala de Actitudes Hacia la Actividad Física, que se administró en el pretest y el postest. El grupo experimental llevó a cabo la intervención mediante las sesiones de ejercicio en vídeo todos los días escolares durante tres meses. Tras la intervención, se encontraron mejoras significativas en el grupo experimental en las percepciones y actitudes de los estudiantes hacia la actividad física, en su autoeficacia física y en el conocimiento académico adquirido relacionado con la salud. En el grupo control no se produjeron mejoras tras el periodo de intervención. El estudio apoya firmemente la efectividad del programa de ejercicios en video.